Mattel continues to fill out the ranks of the JSA with another relevant release, this time it's the veteran Wildcat. DC Universe Classics Wave 9 has a lot of popular characters, and one has to wonder whether Wildcat can stand out amongst them. Is this a figure well worth a purchase, or should others be put forward first? Read on to see my thoughts on the matter!

Name: Wildcat
Line: DC Universe Classics, Wave 9
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: Summer 2009
Price: Retail: $12.50-$14.99, Online: $13.00-$19.99
Scale: 6.00 in. (figure in 6.50 in. tall)
Accessories: None
Collect & Connect Piece: Chemo's torso

     Wildcat is one of the more simple characters with very little new tooling and no accessories that's present in every wave of DC Universe Classics. This low-cost figure allows us to get others that have a lot of extras (i.e., Green Arrow), but unfortunately leaves everyone with a bland looking action figure. Thankfully this does suit the rather basic costume of Wildcat anyway, so he doesn't look out of place in any way. He's proportionate, with hands, feet, and a head that all seem at home on his body, and even the various muscle groups look at home too. There are a variety of details in his body, from bulging muscles to more subtle costume details like the usual costume wrinkles at the belt and ankles. Although these help bring him to life a little, the biggest change of note is the peg hole on his back. Past waves' figures have had very visible chunks of plastic filling the square peg holes on their back, but this figure sheds that tendency with a very smoothly sculpted back and a peg-filler that's almost invisible to the naked eye. This is a real step forward for bare figures like this, and I certainly appreciate that Mattel took the time to implement this change.
     The new pieces on Wildcat include his feet, hands, forearms, and head. That's not a lot, but just enough to add a little diversity to his appearance from other solid black characters. The feet look like boots with feet sculpted on to the top (I presume this was intentional, since he's not actually a cat), as they have a separately visible sole with tread on the bottom. The hands/wrists are wrapped like a boxer's without the gloves, sculpted with fine cuts and a good approximation of various layers. As good as those additions are, I think this head sculpt is the figure's real strong point. His mask appears to be a different piece, actually glued on to the head, and it adds a level of depth that's rarely achieved in this line. The face revelaed underneath features a strong jaw and a nice sly grimace that does seem to have some age coming through, (sort of) appropriate for this golden age character. There is an issue with this mask setup when surveyed up close though, because there is a slight gap between the nose and face (the nose is part of the mask, not the face), making him look a little skull-like upon that tighter inspection. It shouldn't ever come up in cnversation, because it's hard to notice, and even then is a small issue. In the end, the head sculpt is a complex and well-made piece that sits atop a simple but attractive base body with no major problems. I don't feel like discussing the perfectly flat crotch area today, but it's something Mattel is still ignoring, and the women of DC Universe Classics Universe must be very upset about.

Sculpt Score: 9 / 10

 

     Wildcat is yet another DC Universe Classics figure with paint that's not quite up to the standards of the rest of the categories. Although this paintjob is pretty alright for mass-market standards, it's hard to ignore some of the problems seen here. First off, there is a light blue airbrushing added to various parts of Wildcat's costume, most noticeably on the thighs, calves, and biceps. Since it's so inconsistent in its coverage, and the color is a little too light, I can't approve of it. There are also two odd spots applied right around his nipples, so I don't even want to discuss that, but please know, they do look bad. The basic black is just the color of the plastic he's cast in, and I think it works for the character. It's much less glossy than Wave 4's Batman Beyond, but not quite as matte as with Wave 2's Black Manta, so this nice middle ground works for me, and actually seems to match across all his different body parts, even the head. The cloth on his hands doesn't match quite so well from hand to forearm, as the plastic colors differ for each piece and take the gray paint differently, although it's not a huge distinction.
     There aren't many specific applications, only on his toes, fists, and face. The color of his fist wraps is perfect, and there's some good wash work to bring out all the details in the sculpt. The cut lines between his skin and the cloth could be a lot cleaner with quite a bit of bleed onto the skin. His face turned out wonderfully, with clean applications on the face, crisp gray cheeks with whisker spots painted on, and perfectly clean eyes underneath the mask. If you peel back the "tails" of his mask, it will reveal a separate skin color, but I can't see that being a big problem for anyone. Finally, there are some splotches of paint in assorted spots that don't belong, particularly on his forearms.

Paint Score: 7 / 10

 

    Wildcat is a perfect example of a set of unrestricted DC Universe Classics articulation. He has every standard point (diagram above) and each and every one has its full range of motion as engineered. That strength is sadly hindered by problems on the manufacturing side, as Wildcat here is plagued with a plethora of loose joints. His hips are totally free-hanging from front to back and slide out 30 degree to the side without any resistance, so he is relegated to near-splits every time he stands on anything that's not textured (like the cloth in my photos). On a table (or anything smooth) he often looks much more like DCSH figures of old, with a very wide stance. On top of that, his head is perilously loose too, swingly about wildly except in a few specific tighter angles. This is bobble head Wildcat, and I'm afraid it may not be just a figure-specific problem, but instead a design issue, because both of my Wildcat's have the same problem. Knees and ankles are looser than I like too, yet not quite as bad as the previously mentioned spots. Thankfully, everything else is okay, so it's still possible to find some cool poses with a PhD in patience. The joints aren't terribly ugly, but with a basic sculpt and costume like this figure has, they're certainly more obvious than characters with costumes more apt to hide lines and pins. A quick change to his forearms could have helped hide the wrist swivel at the edge of the wrist-wraps, although It's not too distracting where it is currently, so I won't complain.

Articulation Score: 7 / 10

     Wildcat as a character is probably a lot of fun to those who know him, but that isn't a lot of people. Moms at Wal-Mart, and even a lot of collectors I suspect, aren't going to give this guy a third glance (he'll earn a second glance just to make sure he's not some cool Batman variant). This is a relatively basic design and Wildcat isn't touting a lot of amazing superpowers to help make him fun in play scenarios. DC fans will love to place him in the midst of Justice Society of America displays. Most others are going to look at this figure and simply find no home for him. Still yet though, he's got some things going for him, like a decent articulation model. The loose joints shouldn't interfere with play too much, and then on the other hand, posing is going to end up turning the frustration meter up a notch, because falls and balance issues abound. This may not be a problem with the given figure you happen to buy, it just is with this one, and I have to score them like I see them. It's also a disappointment that Wildcat doesn't include any accessories to add entertainment value, and though there may not be many natural additions to the package, anything would have helped. There is some biographical information on the back, along with cool photos of other figures, and artwork on the front, which adds to the fun of collecting the cards. The biggest (literally) thing that makes Wildcat more enjoyable is the inclusion of the Collect & Connect Chemo torso. It's a huge body part that's absolutely inherent if you want to assemble the completed bonus figure (only possible by buying every figure from the wave), and Chemo looks to be a lot of fun, by proxy making Wildcat a little more fun.

Fun Score: 6 / 10

 

     Wildcat is a pretty average sized 6 inch figure, however, he's totally devoid of any accessories. At $12 for a well constructed figure in this scale, Wildcat doesn't seem like a ripoff, except that the lack of accessories affects that perception quite negatively. He's not a very well known character, and I don't know how many people will be willing to pay for a 3rd tier character without many bonuses. He doesn't feature a lot of new tooling, so production costs should have been much lower here too; it's a shame they can't individually alter prices for these toys, because those like Wildcat come off as much weaker deals than the accessory-packed figures next to them. I'm afraid a majority of Wildcat's buyers are just going to be those looking to complete the enormous Chemo Collect & Connect figure, and $12 for 1/6th of a figure is a pretty hefty price for those without a desire for Wildcat himself. And then again, many of us (like me), were going to buy him anyway, so a bonus like the huge chunk of plastic that is Chemo's torso is a real bonus and improves the value immensely. Wildcat's loose limbs are another frustration that limits how much he feels worth, but the relatively good sculpting and paint help to counter that problem. In the end, there are a lot of factors that cancel each other out, leaving Wildcat in the moderately valuable range. Another dollar or two in either direction would have vastly changed his score, and the upcoming price hike on DC Universe Classics figures will make figures like Wildcat considerably overpriced. Right now, he's still a reasonably priced toy.

Value Score: 7 / 10

9 / 10 - May be simple, but he looks great!

7 / 10 - Some overachieving failures that bring him down.

7 / 10 - Lots of great points that are way too loose.

6 / 10 - Why is he so hard to pose, and where are all his weapons? 

7 / 10 - A mostly durable and fairly priced toy.

73 / 100 - This is a Good Toy

Wildcat would be helped in various categories with two simple changes, more accessories and tighter joints. With those changes he'd easily be a great figure, but as it stands now, they pull him down a level. DC fans should keep an eye out for this guy, and everyone else should consider him carefully. 

-The Articulated One

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